When several capable people want the same leadership role, the best decision comes from clearly defining what the position requires and evaluating each person's true fit—not simply rewarding ambition, tenure, or visibility.

TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS

• 1. Wanting the role does not automatically mean someone is suited for it. Ambition can be valuable, but desire alone does not tell you whether a person has the judgment, leadership approach, emotional maturity, or personal skills the position requires. Someone may genuinely want the promotion and still be a better fit for a different path.
• 2. Define the role before comparing the people. Promotion decisions become emotional and political when leaders begin with the candidates instead of the job. First identify what success in the VP role actually demands—its priorities, challenges, leadership expectations, and critical competencies. Then evaluate each person against that standard.
• 3. A thoughtful decision protects both the organization and the candidates. Promoting the wrong person can damage performance, relationships, and confidence across the team. A clear, job-related process makes the decision easier to explain and gives every candidate useful insight into their strengths, gaps, and future development.

KEY QUOTES

• "Wanting the VP role and being the best fit for the VP role are not always the same thing."
• "You have to define the job before you start deciding which person should have it."
• "The loudest, most visible, or most ambitious candidate is not automatically the right leader."
• "A promotion should not be a reward for doing well in the job someone already has."
• "The real question is not, 'Who deserves it?' The real question is, 'Who best matches what this role requires?'"
• "When the expectations are clear, the decision becomes less personal and much more defensible."

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Before discussing candidates for an important promotion, create a one-page success profile for the position. Identify:

• The most important outcomes the person must deliver.
• The leadership and decision-making skills the role requires.
• The behaviors needed to work effectively with the team.
• The internal motivations that will help someone remain engaged.
• The experience and knowledge that are truly necessary.
• The culture, manager, and organizational environment in which the person will operate.

Then compare each candidate to the role using multiple sources of information, including performance history, behavioral examples, interviews, references, and assessment results. Assessments should inform the discussion, but they should represent less than 30 percent of the final decision.

Finally, meet individually with each candidate. Explain the decision clearly, recognize the strengths they bring, and provide specific development guidance—especially for strong employees who were not selected. A well-managed promotion process should strengthen the leadership pipeline rather than leave several valuable people feeling dismissed.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Executive coach and author Chip Scholz shares practical wisdom on self-leadership, reducing workplace drama, using assessments wisely, letting go of ego, and building a life centered more on usefulness than status.

TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS

• 1. You cannot lead others well until you learn to lead yourself. Chip makes the point that leadership is a profession, not just the reward someone gets after being good at their technical job. Leaders have to shift from "doing" to "being" and learn how to guide people, not just keep proving their own expertise.
• 2. Drama grows when leaders avoid the conversation everyone already knows needs to happen. One of the strongest sections is Chip's direct advice around the "one bad apple" problem. His first question is simple: "Is this person a keeper?" If they are, coach them honestly. If they are not, take appropriate action. Avoiding it usually damages trust across the whole team.
• 3. A meaningful life is built around usefulness, not performance. The through line in Chip's books and stories is the shift from status, applause, and external validation toward usefulness, purpose, relationships, and peace. That theme ties beautifully into Wake Up Eager: work matters, but so does the life you are building around it.

KEY GUEST QUOTES

• "Coaching is not about fixing people. It is about helping already good people get better."
• "The best cultures are people-oriented and performance-driven, in that order."
• "If you've got someone who is a problem on a team, everybody knows it."
• "Ask yourself first: is this person a keeper?"
• "I don't believe you can lead others until you lead yourself."
• "Most supervisors come from the land of super workers."
• "We have to go from a way of doing to a way of being."
• "Mindfulness is just about noticing."
• "You don't force the cut."
• "I wanted to build a life less centered on status and more on usefulness."
• "Every dog has its day. Everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame, and everybody is going to die."
• "I can't do much about world peace, but I can do something about peace for myself."

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This week, look at one leadership situation you have been tolerating, avoiding, or overthinking. Ask yourself Chip's question: "Is this person a keeper?" If yes, define the one core behavior that needs to change and prepare for a clear, respectful conversation. If no, decide what next responsible step is needed. Either way, remember that the rest of the team already feels the impact of your action or inaction.

For a personal reset, try Chip's simple five-minute practice: breathe. Use box breathing - inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four - before you respond to a stressful email, meeting, or conversation.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Chip Scholz is an executive coach, author, and leadership advisor who works with CEOs, business owners, and leadership teams to build stronger businesses through coaching, assessments, strategic planning, and leadership development. His company, Scholz & Associates, describes his work as helping leaders gain clarity and focus on what matters most in work and life. Scholz & Associates

Chip is the author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts and Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe, and his upcoming book Handoffs focuses on leadership, succession, and family business transitions.

FULL SHOW NOTES